X-Files--"Surekill"

“Surekill” is a typical example of what is wrong with the final two seasons of The X-Files. It has an interesting premise which holds a lot of possibilities. But the story to go along with it is terribly anemic, not to mention run of the mill were it to be featured on any generic police procedural. The X-Files has had that problem before. Such episodes have not always been saved by banter between Mulder and Scully, but it helps. Alas, we do not have Mulder and Scully. We have Doggett as the sidekick here. Scully does not appear any more thrilled about this fact than we are.

As I said above, the premise is cool. A blue collar, legally blind loser named Dwight has a developmentally challenged brother named Randall whose eyes have a different organic structure which allows him x-ray vision. Normally, he uses his ability to be a peeping tom, partically watching Dwight secretary, tammy, frolic naked. But Dwight has bigger ambitions. He manipulates his brother into using his ability as a sniper making impossible to trace kill shots on drug dealers in order to steal their loot.

Randall apparently goes AWOl one night and murders a real estate agent who is being held in a jail cell for safekeeping. Doggett and scully are brought in because there is no conceivable way a sniper could have pulled the shot off from the roof.

Two things occur as the story progresses. One, Scully channels mulder in jumping to the x-ray eyes conclusion. To her credit, she bounces back to her old skeptical self when Doggett does not buy it. It is not until she witnesses randall’s ability that she finally accepts it as real. She is still subdued and brooding, but at least there are hints there of the old Scully. Two, Tammy has been cheating Dwight and Randall out of their drug money take. She has been teasing Randall with her naked frolicking. Once she has him on the hook, she had him kill the real estate agent, who was her partner in crime, then she planned to haul off with the money. When Dwight convinces his brother tammy was just using him, Randall thinks about killing her like Dwight wants him to, but winds up shooting his brother instead. He genuinely loves Tammy, even if she thinks he is only a developmentally challenged simpleton.

I give ’Surekill’ an “A” for effort on both of the above counts. Scully is written as being more of the way she used to be. As a dedicated member of team Scully, I approve. But there is just no chemistry between her and Doggett no matter how she comes across. There is no witty banter between them. No warmth, either. At one point, Doggett calls her “Agent.” not Agent Scully, or even scully. Agent. It is a strange complaint, I suppose, but I cannot help but compare Dogget/Scully with mulder/Scully and find it sadly lacking. As for the unrequited love of the manipulated cripple, its heart is in the right place, but I am just not feeling it. Even in the end when Scully expresses sorrow for Randall for murdering his brother out of love for a wman he cannot have, nor should really want, it feels forced and cold. Not like old times.

“Surekill” does not belong in the cellar, but it is definitely a below average episode. Doggett and Scully are not clicking as partners. If that basic foundation is not working, then even a fascinating premise with a tug at the heartstrings twist cannot save the episode. I can see what the powers that be were trying to do, but they did not have the juice to pull it off. If that were not depressing enough, the actress who played Tammy, Kellie Waymire, died two years after this episode aired of an undiagnosed heart condition. She was only 36 .

Rating: ** (out of 5)